Editorial: Middletown gets lucky, but only after hard work

For a decade or so now, Orange County has had three cities that needed help. In Port Jervis, Middletown and Newburgh, city leaders always seemed to be taking one step forward, then having circumstances beyond their control push them back at least that far, if not farther.

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recordonline.com

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Posted Jul. 10, 2013 at 2:00 AM

Posted Jul. 10, 2013 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

For a decade or so now, Orange County has had three cities that needed help. In Port Jervis, Middletown and Newburgh, city leaders always seemed to be taking one step forward, then having circumstances beyond their control push them back at least that far, if not farther.

Everyone knew that the solutions to these problems would have to come from a mixture of local dedication and help from outside. Every store that resisted the lure of the sprawling business districts outside the cities was an investment not only in commerce today, but in the municipality for tomorrow. Every civic group that cleaned up litter at an abandoned lot, every non-profit or other charity that provided a service counted as another type of investment, one that went directly to people in need.

All of that helped keep things from getting worse but the cities needed something else, something that would help make them better.

Go back to any planning session or political campaign and there is one thing that you definitely will not hear. Nobody ever said, "Let's bring a film festival to Middletown."

But this year, that is what happened, and now the festival has decided to return for three more years, based on the warm welcome, municipal support and robust audiences of the initial run.

There is a bit of serendipity in this story, fitting for one involving the film industry. Who could have predicted that Middletown would have the ideal set for a film being made or that one of the filmmakers would see the possibilities of holding the festival there?

That's the good luck part of the story. But as everyone knows, you have to work to find good luck and that's what Middletown did with the vision to see what an asset it had in the Paramount Theater and the money to expand its possibilities.

The festival will be a year-round presence, bringing in people who might never have heard of Middletown. That will give local leaders even more chances to promote the city to others who might not have ever come this way.